Award Number: HT001520P0010
“SDD is requesting approval of this Justification and Approval (J&A) for a sole source award bridge contract to ASM Research LLC (ASM). This requirement is to maintain Defense Health Agency (DHA) Veterinary Services.”
“System Management (VSSM), a Department of Defense (DoD) mission-essential program. The current support for multi-functioning devices is awarded through Task order HT0015-18-F-0120 under Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract HT0015-14-D-0001, which is currently under litigation over data rights. Given the uncertainty associated with any litigation, SDD is contemplating replacing the current VSSM program to minimize risk to the Government. Market research and industry assessment are being conducted to identify potential commercial- off-the-shelf solutions as well as possible alternative solutions designed for the Government that can offer source code rights without the litigation risk that has arisen in connection with VSSM.”
“The VSSM program addresses the Military Health System’s (MHS’s) effort to optimize data capture, data management, data analysis, and event reporting for the Department of Defense Veterinary Service for animal care and management, as well as, animal disease prevention and control in support of the Force Health Protection (FHP) mission. The VSSM program, in addition of being a health record program, also provides a complete practice management solution. With the pendency of the litigation, the only firm available to help us maintain that system is ASM. Furthermore, the Program Management Office (PMO) is finalizing market research and requirement formulation to explore possibilities for potentially replacing the current veterinary electronic health record contract.”
“The current VSSM contract was awarded through HT0015-18-F-0120 on 28 September 2018 under IDIQ HT0015-14-D-0001, and the period of performance is ending on 29 March 2020. On January 5, 2018, a company named HEALTHeSTATE, LLC filed a complaint in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The Government is vigorously disputing the claims made therein.”
“The program office is actively exploring the possibilities of utilizing another commercial solution or possible alternative solution designed for the Government to meet the requirements of VSSM. Because of the rights to the source code are a central issue in the litigation, going with any provider other than ASMR can expose the Government to greater risk of liability, since ASMR is the only company with arguable access to the source code for purposes of maintaining the current Government system…”
